The Amundsen Glacier () is a major

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

glacier, about 7 to 11 km (4 to 6 nmi) wide and 150 km (80 nmi) long. It originates on the

Antarctic Plateau The Antarctic Plateau, Polar Plateau or King Haakon VII Plateau is a large area of East Antarctica that extends over a diameter of about , and includes the region of the geographic South Pole and the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. Thi ...

where it drains the area to the south and west of

Nilsen Plateau Nilsen Plateau () is a rugged, ice-covered plateau in Antarctica. When including Fram Mesa, the plateau is about long and wide, rising to high between the upper reaches of the Amundsen and Scott glaciers, in the Queen Maud Mountains. Discovere ...

, then descends through the

Queen Maud Mountains The Queen Maud Mountains () are a major group of mountains, ranges and subordinate features of the Transantarctic Mountains, lying between the Beardmore Glacier, Beardmore and Reedy Glaciers and including the area from the head of the Ross Ice Sh ...

to enter the

Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between high ...

just west of the

MacDonald Nunataks The Medina Peaks () are rugged, mainly ice-free, peaks surmounting a ridge long, extending north along the east side of Goodale Glacier to the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Discovery and naming Some of the peaks were first seen and ro ...

Name

The Amundsen Glacier was discovered by

Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer, and pioneering aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader cr ...

on the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True South Pole to distinguish ...

flight in November 1929. The name was proposed for

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegians, Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Am ...

by Laurence Gould, leader of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition (Byrd AE) geological party which sledged past the mouth of the glacier in December 1929.

Location

According to ''Sailing Directions for Antarctica'' (1960), "Lying eastward of the Bowman Glacier is the Amundsen Glacier, the northern portal of which is in 85°30' S., 159°00' W. It is about 6 miles wide and trends southward about 60 miles to the polar plateau. Mount Helmer Hanssen, about 10,742 feet high, is a rounded dome, completely snow-covered, standing conspicuously above the westem wall. A tributary glacier, about 5 miles wide, enters the Amundsen Glacier on the northern side of the Mount Helmer Hanssen massif. The Amundsen Glacier has not been traversed. " The Amundsen Glacier rises on the polar plateau to the west of the Rawson Mountains. It flows northwest to the

Nødtvedt Nunataks Nødtvedt Nunataks () is an isolated nunataks standing in mid-stream of the Amundsen Glacier, rising 7 nautical miles (13 km) east-northeast of Mount Bjaaland, Antarctica. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names The Advisory Committee ...

, which it passes on both sides, and is fed by the Norway Glacier from the left (west) south of Mount Hassel, where it wheels to the north and then northeast, fed by Devils Glacier from the left, by the Epler Glacier from the right and then by the Christy Glacier from the left. The tributary Blackwall Glacier flows northwest along the northeast side of Hansen Spur to join Amundsen Glacier. It flows north through past Beck Peak and the Breyer Mesa. Continuing north it is joined by the Tate Glacier, Moffett Glacier and Whitney Glacier from the left, and by the Cappellari Glacier to the right. As it enters the

between

Witalis Peak Quarles Range () is a high and rugged range of the Queen Maud Mountains, extending from the polar plateau between Cooper Glacier and Bowman Glacier and terminating near the edge of Ross Ice Shelf. Discovery and naming Peaks in the range were ...

and the

it converges with the Bowman Glacier on the left and the Goodale Glacier on the right.

Left tributaries

Left (west) tributaries from south to north are:

Norway Glacier

A tributary glacier about long, descending the polar plateau just west of Mount Prestrud, and flowing northeast to enter Amundsen Glacier between Mount Bjaaland and Mount Hassel. Named by the

Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN or US-ACAN) is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending commemorative names for features in Antarctica. History The committee was established ...

(US-ACAN) in association with the many features named in this area for members of Amundsen's Norwegian expedition of 1910-12.

Devils Glacier

. A heavily crevassed glacier at the edge of the polar plateau, about long and wide, draining the south part of the

Mohn Basin The Scott Glacier () is a major glacier, long, that drains the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the Queen Maud Mountains to the Ross Ice Shelf. The Scott Glacier is one of a series of major glaciers flowing across the Transantarctic Mountains, w ...

and flowing northeast to enter the upper part of Amundsen Glacier just north of the mountain group consisting of Mount Wisting, Mount Hassel, Mount Bjaaland and Mount Prestrud. The glacier was encountered by Roald Amundsen's South Pole Party in 1911 and was named by them to describe the extremely rough sledging in the area. Amundsen's route southward, between 168° and 169°W, took the party across the upper or western portion of the glacier.

Christy Glacier

. A steep tributary glacier draining southeast along the southwest side of Breyer Mesa to enter Amundsen Glacier. Mapped by

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

(USGS) from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1960-64. Named by US-ACAN for Clarence C. Christy, maintenance shop supervisor at Williams Field, McMurdo Sound, on USN OpDFrz 1967.

Tate Glacier

. A tributary glacier on the south side of

Thomas Spur Quarles Range () is a high and rugged range of the Queen Maud Mountains, extending from the polar plateau between Cooper Glacier and Bowman Glacier and terminating near the edge of Ross Ice Shelf. Discovery and naming Peaks in the range were ...

, flowing east and merging with Moffett Glacier just east of the spur where the two glaciers enter the larger Amundsen Glacier. Mapped by USGS from surveys and USN air photos, 1960-64. Named by US-ACAN for Robert Tate, geomagnetist / seismologist with the South Pole Station winter party, 1964.

Moffett Glacier

. A tributary glacier, long, flowing east from Rawson Plateau to enter Amundsen Glacier just south of

Mount Benjamin Quarles Range () is a high and rugged range of the Queen Maud Mountains, extending from the polar plateau between Cooper Glacier and Bowman Glacier and terminating near the edge of Ross Ice Shelf. Discovery and naming Peaks in the range were ...

. Discovered by R. Admiral Byrd on the South Pole flight of Nov. 28-29, 1929, and named by him for R. Admiral William A. Moffett, USN, first Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Dept. of the Navy.

Whitney Glacier

. A tributary glacier, long, draining northeast from Mount Ellsworth to enter Amundsen Glacier just south of

Robinson Bluff Quarles Range () is a high and rugged range of the Queen Maud Mountains, extending from the polar plateau between Cooper Glacier and Bowman Glacier and terminating near the edge of Ross Ice Shelf. Discovery and naming Peaks in the range were ...

. Discovered and mapped by the ByrdAE, 1928-30. Named by US-ACAN for Raymond L. Whitney, meteorologist, South Pole Station winter party, 1961.

Bowman Glacier

. A deeply entrenched glacier, long, descending the polar plateau between

Quarles Range Quarles Range () is a high and rugged range of the Queen Maud Mountains, extending from the polar plateau between Cooper Glacier and Bowman Glacier and terminating near the edge of Ross Ice Shelf. Discovery and naming Peaks in the range were ...

and

Rawson Plateau Quarles Range () is a high and rugged range of the Queen Maud Mountains, extending from the polar plateau between Cooper Glacier and Bowman Glacier and terminating near the edge of Ross Ice Shelf. Discovery and naming Peaks in the range were ...

of the Queen Maud Mountains to enter the Ross Ice Shelf just west of the flow of Amundsen Glacier. Discovered in December 1929 by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition geological party under Laurence Gould, and named by Byrd for

Isaiah Bowman Isaiah Bowman, AB, Ph. D. (December 26, 1878 – January 6, 1950), was an American geographer and President of the Johns Hopkins University, 1935–1948, controversial for his antisemitism and inaction in Jewish resettlement during World War ...

, eminent geographer and president of Johns Hopkins University, 1935-49; Director of the American Geographical Society, 1915–35.

Steagall Glacier

. A tributary glacier, long, draining the east slopes of Rawson Plateau between

Mount Alice Gade Quarles Range () is a high and rugged range of the Queen Maud Mountains, extending from the polar plateau between Cooper Glacier and Bowman Glacier and terminating near the edge of Ross Ice Shelf. Discovery and naming Peaks in the range were ...

and Mount Deardorff and flowing north to enter Bowman Glacier. First mapped by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, 1928–30. Named by US-ACAN for Jack Steagall, meteorologist, South Pole Station winter party, 1961.

Right tributaries

Right (east) tributaries from south to north are:

Epler Glacier

. A tributary glacier, long, draining west from

to enter Amundsen Glacier just south of Olsen Crags. Mapped by USGS from surveys and USN air photos, 1960-64. Named by US-ACAN for Charles F. Epler, storekeeper with USN Squadron VX-6 on Operation Deep Freeze 1966 and 1967.

Blackwall Glacier

. A tributary glacier, long, which drains a portion of the west slope of

. It flows northwest along the northeast side of Hansen Spur to join Amundsen Glacier. The name was used by both the 1963-64 and 1970-71 Ohio State University field parties at Nilsen Plateau; all the rock walls surrounding this glacier are black in appearance.

Cappellari Glacier

. A glacier long in the Hays Mountains, flowing west from the northwest shoulder of

Mount Vaughan The Hays Mountains () are a large group of mountains and peaks of the Queen Maud Mountains of Antarctica, surmounting the divide between the lower portions of Amundsen Glacier and Scott Glacier and extending from the vicinity of Mount Thorne on ...

to enter Amundsen Glacier just north of Mount Dort. First roughly mapped by the ByrdAE, 1928-30. Remapped by USGS from ground surveys and USN air photos, 1960-64. Named by US-ACAN for Lewis K. Cappellari who made ionospheric studies at McMurdo Station in 1965.

Goodale Glacier

. A glacier which flows north from Mount Goodale and Mount Armstrong along the west side of Medina Peaks, in the foothills of the Queen Maud Mountains. First seen and mapped by the ByrdAE, 1928-30. Named by US-ACAN in association with Mount Goodale.

Head of glacier

A mountain group consisting of Mount Wisting, Mount Hassel, Mount Bjaaland and Mount Prestrud lies at the head of the Amundsen Glacier just south of the point where the Devils Glacier enters from the left. In November 1911, a number of mountain peaks in this general vicinity were observed and rudely positioned by the South Pole Party under Roald Amundsen. He named peaks in the massif for members of his South Pole Party. The peaks were mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy aerial photography in 1960–64. For the sake of historical continuity and to commemorate the Norwegian exploration in this area, the US-ACAN assigned Amundsen's chosen names to the peaks.

Mount Wisting

. A rock peak (2,580 m), the north westernmost summit of the massif. Amundsen named one of the peaks for Oscar Wisting, a member of the party. The US-ACAN has selected this feature to be designated Mount Wisting.

Mount Hassel

. A rock peak high, the northeasternmost summit of the massif. Amundsen named one of the peaks for Sverre Hassel, a member of the party. The US-ACAN has selected this feature to be designated Mount Hassel..

Mount Bjaaland

. A rock peak high, the southeasternmost summit of the massif. Amundsen named one of the peaks for Olaf Bjaaland, a member of the party. The US-ACAN has selected this feature to be designated Mount Bjaaland.

Mount Prestrud

. A peak over high which rises from the southwestern part of the massif. Amundsen named one of the peaks for Lieutenant Kristian Prestrud, first officer of the Fram and leader of the Norwegian expedition's Eastern Sledge Party to the Scott Nunataks. The US-ACAN has selected this feature to be designated Mount Prestrud.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{Authority control Glaciers of Amundsen Coast Queen Maud Mountains